Press Release

Story of Fayette County WWII Veteran to be Brought to the Screen by Grandson, Northwestern University Student

Chicago, IL, July 24, 2008 --(PR.com)-- The heartfelt story of the late Stanley Schwarm, Loogootee native and World War II veteran, will be made into a Northwestern University student film.

The film entitled, As Ever, Stan is written and directed by Northwestern University senior Alex Schwarm, son of Gene and Ann Schwarm and grandson of the late Stanley and Edith Schwarm.

As Ever, Stan is a short film about Stanley Schwarm’s return to his wife Edith and their first-born child after spending four months in a prisoner of war camp after his capture at the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. Filmed from Edith’s point of view, the film recognizes the bittersweet realization of the change in soldiers when they come home from war.

“As a part of my family’s history, this story of Stanley and Edith is close to my heart,” says Schwarm, a Radio/Television/Film major. “However, I think that their story is universal to all families affected by war, past or present.”

Schwarm has worked diligently to preserve the authenticity of the film by adapting the script from letters and telegrams Stanley sent to his family in Loogootee and Shobonier. He also worked closely with his Aunt Patsy, Stanley and Edith’s first child and the family’s historian.

“It was a great bonding experience for me and my Aunt Pat,” says Schwarm who traveled home on numerous weekends from college in Evanston, IL to his aunt’s home in Highland, IL to research his family history. “The project started out as family memoir for a class assignment and eventually I adapted it into a short screenplay.” Schwarm has been working on this project with his aunt for over a year.

As Ever, Stan is one of three films to be made in the fall by Studio 22, Northwestern University’s student-run production company. Studio 22 awarded Schwarm, his producers Samantha Soto and Matthew Litwiller, both Northwestern undergraduates, with a grant to produce and shoot the film in early October. However the allotted grant funding only covers 30% of the budget. In addition to the Studio 22 grant, Schwarm and his crew are seeking funds to help produce the film.

The As Ever, Stan production team has a commitment to excellence and the financial contributions will be utilized for film, rental equipment and production materials necessary to create an authentic 1945 setting in the 21st century.

“In order to make the film as beautiful and authentic as we want it to make it, we have to put energy, time and funds into the project,” says Soto, a Communication Studies major. “It is a huge endeavor but we are ready for the challenge.”

To learn more about the story of Stanley and Edith Schwarm, which will be told in As Ever, Stan, or to make a donation to the production of the film go to www.aseverstanmovie.com.